Training Log Archive: PG

Too nice an afternoon not to go out, especially with rain, and maybe even a little snow, in the forecast for the next couple of days. Leverett loop counter-clockwise. Relaxed pace the first 30 minutes, then worked a little harder.

Yesterday: 1/6 (y), certainly not getting any g's, too much chocolate and other sinful things.

A little bit tired from the weekend's exertions but not bad, and not really sore from the hills and the falls, all a pleasant surprise.

Day 2 at Mt. Tom, Blue course (M21).

Another good run, no mistakes to speak of and a decent effort. One regular scalp for the weekend (Jon Campbell) and one semi-scalp -- Balter on Saturday, he's not on the Standing Team but a win over The One is not trivial. Most likely would have been a second semi-scalp today but The One retreated to the Red course to lick his wounds.... :-)

Falls today: PG 8, including a couple of whams, hit pretty hard; mom not reported (and for mom, not reported really means 0 because I would get a phone call if mom went down).

A few comments on my routes --

1 and 2 were easy because I was going so slow up the hill.

5 was tricky, the woods were a little trashy, but I did it just right, despite the fact that my mind was flipping back to 30 years ago when I was making the original map and someplace right in here I went to step over a log and at the last moment saw a quite large snake coiled up on the other side, and it had markings that could have been a rattler (there are a few of them on Mt. Tom, or at least there were 30 years ago), but in all honesty I wasn't sure because before I knew it I had backed up at least 50 yards, and I have avoided the area ever since, never been in there, never set a course there, never never, until today. Glad to report that no snakes were sighted.

8 and 9, both a little nervy on the approach, but nailed both. On 9 especially, there was enough variation in the contours as you got near the control that I knew I was right on even before I saw the marker.

10 through 15, Little Mt. Tom, in control all the way, even though I took several falls in the vicinity of 13, and even though whoever made the map sure didn't get the contours right for the reentrant just SW of 15. I got there, things didn't look right at all, actually stopped and asked myself if there was anywhere else I could possibly be. Decided there wasn't, so I went up and over and there was the control. I guess mappers must have bad moments just like everyone else.

17. Sad to notice that a huge old oak about 150 meters SW of 17 has gone horizontal. It was a glorious tree, grew up when everything around it was field, big lower branches stretching way out. But no more.

19. Last real control and made me nervous. Stopped short, then saw it ahead of me, very relieved, as the mountain laurel comes and goes, not the distinct edge shown on the map.

Another fun course. Thanks to Jeff and Phil for a great weekend and also for arranging the usual fine Western Mass. weather. :-)

My routes.

C • Scalps... 18

Warm-up, just enough to get the heart pumping.

Picked up 1-8 and 12 on the Orange course, felt good to be at least a little useful. Walked all the way to 5, then ran some coming back, though I had to be careful with a full pack (including a bunch of stuff from the water stop at 4) and several control posts sticking out a foot or so above my head, kept forgetting not to go under any low branches. and every so often I'd get yanked backward. But a nice outing at a slow pace.

Spent a little time with Carl Underwood, a very promising junior, now in 10th grade I think, talking about what he might do to move his orienteering to the next level. I think my two main suggestions for now were (1) to do as much orienteering as possible over the next year, running two or three courses at meets if possible, helping to pick up controls, whatever, and (2) to learn to read maps much more precisely than he is doing now.

I think he ran about 65 minutes on Red today, 6.8 km, he has potential. Yesterday he ran 17:50 for 5K at the CT XC champs.

Also need to report that Gail made it around both days. :-)

C • Carl 3

Blue Day 2 - Splits

Event: NEOC Heart and Troll Revival A-Meet
 

Warm-up

Mt. Tom A meet, Blue course (M21) just for the hell of it.

Had a good run, about as good as I can do. Pretty good routes, all good execution and no problems at controls. Just not running fast anymore, nor even walking fast up the hills. Downhill is still not so bad.... :-)

Real nice course by Phil, a lot of choices, including 2 legs, 11-12 and 18-19, where there were several possible routes none of which were appealing (that's a polite way of saying all of them sucked). I think my choice going to 12 wasn't the best, going around to the right was a little better. But going to 19 I think I had a good route, based on how far back I was behind the best guys. Although I don't think the differences were major, more important was just making sure you executed your route efficiently.

Real nice day for running, around 50, no sun (sun this time of year when it is low in the sky can be difficult when you are running into it), and the rain held off until late afternoon. And the forecast is for all the bad stuff, heavy rain, thunder, and strong winds, to pass through during the night and to be sunny and pleasant tomorrow. Keep the fingers crossed.

Legs felt pretty good!

My routes: first part, second part.

Oh, almost forgot, today's fall count -- PG 2, mom unknown. Just two is really really good for Mt. Tom. As Eddie said, must be the yoga.

Yesterday: 4/6 (yloc).
Today: had a really good ESC meeting, so fine to have Linda as chair and Lex as Team Administrator.

Blue Day 1 - Splits

Leverett loop, clockwise, not pushing it, didn't really the exercise with orienteering the next two days but it was too nice out not to do something.

C • Safe and sound 4

Got home from the bike ride and Sandy and Valerie had just arrived, and Valerie wanted to take a short run, and she wanted a guide. A moment to change my shoes and shorts and we were off up the hill, up to Gunn Road and back. The mixed oak and hemlock is just beautiful this time of year as the leaves come down, plus the late afternoon light, a very pleasant outing with very fine company!

Yesterday: 3/6 (yoc). And for today, certainly an L as I made dessert for tomorrow night, more cooking than I've done for a long long time. Though no idea yet if it will be edible. And also at least a c and really probably a C for a fair amount of conversation in trying to get ready for the weekend (lots of house cleaning and food preparation) and stay in a good mood. Mostly successful I think, though Gail may disagree.... :-)

Early run with Dave up South Sugarloaf. Legs still feeling like crap, butt still sore, but a beautiful morning, right about freezing, nice views from the top. Just moving slower and slower.

16:12 over, 9:42 up, 7:17 down, 15:27 back.

Went to see Appaloosa last night, talked Gail into coming too. Really enjoyed it, we both did. Interesting characters, slow paced but better because of it. I doubt younger folks would find it appealing.

C • New Western 4

C • We saw it, too 1

On Poet's Seat ridge, out the middle trail, back the lower one. Legs feeling a bit sore so didn't hurry.

Yesterday: 3/6 (ygc), though I can't really remember for sure. And for today so far (yglOc), the O (get the chaos in the house organized before croaking) is because you can actually see most of the surface of my desk. And that's not because I just swept everything off onto the floor. And all maps are filed. :-)

Hard work again, but at least the little bit of chatter afterwards indicated that I wasn't the only one feeling it. But I'm sticking with it, and doing stuff on my own regularly.

Some more ideas for things to work on to keep from falling so much.

Yesterday: (ygE), yes a capital E for lots of progress. :-)

Planning on the Mt. Toby loop later, supposed to be cold rain (and will be dark the last half). Good mental training for Virginia. But only if I actually do it.

C • ideas 2

C • Yoga color 2

Mt. Toby loop with Dave, Rob, Donna, and Sara. Started a little earlier, 5:15, so got just about a hour done before the lights were needed. The good news was it hardly rained at all and it wasn't that cold (mid 40s). The bad news was that my legs felt like crap, quads were feeling it and left butt was getting a little sore. I guess it was overdue, the last few times out I've been feeling pretty good.

So I struggled a bit, walked a little bit more on the steep sections, then ran a little faster on the downs to catch back up, even in the dark. I think doing some training running at night may actually make you better running at night. Funny how that works. And no falls! One close call but saved it.

And the last 20 minutes was nice, downhill mostly, and also being entertained by Sara, who does a lot of public defender work at the appeals level and has a case coming up before the SJC (our state supreme court) in a couple of weeks. The good conversation made a world of difference in the enjoyment of the run.

Think I will take it easy the next few days before trashing myself this weekend at Mt. Tom